Horror, Sex Flicks Rise To Top

March 28, 1985|By Vernon Scott, United Press International

HOLLYWOOD, CALIF. — Moviemakers have made a tradition of exploiting the vernal rites of youth by supplying kids with horror and sex movies in a curious reversal of the Easter ethic, capturing millions of dollars in the process.

Right on schedule, a spate of teen-age Spring Break movies washed over this week`s box-office report to take four of the five top spots.

Heading the list with the top body count was Friday the 13th -- Part V, with $8 million collected in its first week. The fifth installment of blood and lust among high schoolers fell short of the opening weeks of two of the four previous Friday the 13th gore fests.

But its release for the high school and college March-April Spring Break is being fully exploited by Paramount Pictures in a whopping 1,759 theaters -- more screens than any other film currently in release.

The jiggle-and-giggle comedy Porky`s Revenge proves to be as grungy as Porky`s and Porky`s II, The Next Day -- which set new cinematic lows for raunch. It was No. 2 in its debut week with $6.2 million going to 20th Century-Fox coffers.

As usual, the latest installment in the Porky`s trilogy offers sex, nudity, purple dialogue and teen-agers making teachers and parents look like a collection of idiots.

Two other newcomers, The Last Dragon, a chop-socky epic combined with hard rock music, and Baby, Secret of the Lost Legend, a Disney kiddie flick about an infant dinosaur, were No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Both registered robust box-office takes in the first week of release. The Last Dragon hauled in $5.3 million. Baby collected $4 million.

The only film not making its debut to crack the top five was Mask, the tragic story of a dying and disfigured boy and his distraught mother. Last week it was 26 in the box-office standings. It is No. 3 in its second week with a total of $6.1 million.

Beverly Hills Cop, which enjoyed the longest run this year in the No. 1 spot -- 13 weeks -- plummeted to No. 6. It earned $3.8 million last week. But the Eddie Murphy comedy augurs to become the most successful screen comedy in history as its gross edged toward the magic $200 million mark. In 15 weeks it has earned $192 million.

Witness, the love story of a Philadelphia cop and an Amish widow, which many critics and moviegoers consider the best film currently in release, was No. 2 last week. It dropped to No. 7 with $3.6 million in the till.